Judges 21:6 Now the Israelites grieved for the tribe of
Benjamin, their fellow Israelites.
“Today one tribe is cut off from Israel,” they said.
The Benjaminites had, as a group, become quite wicked,
wicked to the extent that no one stood up for doing what was right even to the
extent of mistreating travelers (see chapter 19) who stopped for the
night. The leaders of the other tribes
of Israel tried
to make things right by talking to those from Benjamin, to no avail. In chapter 20 we are told the Israelites
prayed for wisdom then went to battle against the Benjaminites. In the horrific defeat and consequent
ostracizing of the Benjaminites, I see a picture of the Church as God has
intended when disciplinary action must be taken. Even when having to punish someone
drastically, there should be an undercurrent of love and tenderness over the
“loss” of an errant fellow-believer. In
“the rest of the story” they worked out a plan for restoration of the wayward
Benjaminites – a great picture of mercy and love.
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